19-Year-Old Woman, Friend Kill Cab Driver Over Blackmail; Surrender to Police

The Navi Mumbai police on Monday arrested a 19-year-old woman and her friend for allegedly killing a cab driver who was blackmailing her and demanding sexual favors.

The accused, Rhea Sarkanyasingh and Vishal Shinde (21), surrendered at a police station in Sangamner, Ahmednagar district, where they had taken shelter after committing the crime.

As per the police, Rhea, a Punjabi native, had recently migrated to Ulwe Sector 24 in Navi Mumbai in pursuit of a job. While staying there, she got in touch with Surendra Pandey (43), a taxi driver who used to take her to and from different places in the city. While searching for a place to stay, Pandey had given her a room to stay at his house.

On April 2, Rhea’s friend Vishal visited her at Pandey‘s residence. While they were together, Pandey is said to have recorded the couple‘s intimate videos without their consent. He then used the videos to blackmail Rhea and demanded sexual favors, a police officer said.

The incident was further escalated into a violent battle, in the process of which the accused duo supposedly attacked Pandey with a hammer, causing him to die. They proceeded to escape the location and reach Vishal‘s residence in Sangamner.

Vishal’s family apparently convinced the two men to surrender when they arrived at Sangamner. The duo reached the nearby police station and confessed to having committed the crime.

When they got the news from Sangamner police, officials from Ulwe police station went to Pandey’s home in Navi Mumbai, where they found his body on April 6 — four days after the killing.

Navi Mumbai police team then went to Sangamner to arrest the accused and bring them to Navi Mumbai for further investigation.

Police are continuing to investigate to bring more evidence on board and determine the complete order of events preceding the murder.